10 Reasons Why You Should Become a Pharmacy Technician
What is a career that offers great pay and benefits while also helping those in need? A Pharmacy Technician, of course!
Pharmacy technicians fill and prepare prescriptions for dispensing, compound intravenous medications for hospitals and organize the inventory. It requires attention to detail, professionalism, and integrity.
Think you have what it takes to become a Pharmacy Technician but unsure if it’s the job for you? Read on to learn the top 10 reasons why you should become a pharmacy technician!
1. The Pharmacy Technician Job Market is Strong
The pharmacy technician job market is expected to grow 12% in the coming years. The average population is getting older, leading to an increased demand for prescriptions. Advances in science will result in better medications all around.
Pharmacists are getting more patient care requirements, like administering the flu shot. That means that pharmacy technicians will be required to perform tasks that traditionally were performed by pharmacists. The job outlook for pharmacy technicians is looking good.
2. You’ll Have Plenty of Work Environment Options
Many think when you become a Pharmacy Technician that a community pharmacy is the only job option. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
There are plenty of other locations where you can work if you don’t want to work at a community pharmacy. There’s hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacy automation, compounding pharmacies, and more. So you’ll be able to practice in an environment that interests you the most.
You’ll be able to find a job anywhere. Every state in the country needs Pharmacy Technicians. So if you find that you need to move, know that finding a job will be relatively easy.
3. You’ll Have Many Roles
Every Pharmacy Technician job is unique. Those working in a community pharmacy will actively interact with patients. These positions will be heavy on customer service.
If you’d prefer less public interaction, consider working at a compounding pharmacy or in pharmacy automation. These roles will be more focused on compounding and organizing prescriptions. With so many job options, it’s easy to find one best suited to your preferences.
4. You’ll Learn Useful Skills
As a Pharmacy Technician, you’ll learn skills that extend beyond the workplace. In Pharmacy Technician training programs, you’ll learn how various medications affect the human body in ways they don’t describe on the label. You’ll also learn about how medications can interact with one another.
It’s easy to see how this information can be life-saving. But be careful: you might become the go-to reference for your friends and family!
5. You Get to Help People
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a Pharmacy Technician is that you can see the impact your work has on helping improve others’ lives. You’ll assist the pharmacist by maintaining medication safety of the patients. You’ll also complete many tasks traditionally held by pharmacists.
6. You’ll Work with All Kinds of People
Are you a social butterfly? As a Pharmacy Technician, you’ll work with a variety of people. You’ll see a variety of cultural and social backgrounds. And you will notice that your customer service skills will greatly improve to navigate these nuanced differences.
You’ll work with individuals ranging from infancy to senior age. And you’ll work with customers and healthcare professionals. So if you enjoy meeting people where you work, this is a great job for you!
7. You’ll Get to Work with Your Hands
Do you hate mindless work? As a Pharmacy Technician, you won’t feel the restlessness associated with a typical office job. Your job will be very hands-on.
You’ll help measure and stock medications, fill prescriptions, and organize stock. You’ll also handle transactions with patients and help the pharmacist complete daily tasks.
8. There are Plenty of Advancement Opportunities
If you’re good at your job, it won’t go unnoticed. Many well paid pharmacy technicians started at the bottom and worked their way up. You can advance to become a Community Store Manager, Pharmacy Technician Supervisor, and advance to prepare chemo-therapy intravenous solutions as an Intravenous Pharmacy Technician in a hospital.
So while you may begin with simple tasks, you’ll get more complex ones as time progresses and you prove your worth.
If you want to pursue a different career, you can use this as the first step. Many pharmacy technicians pursue different healthcare careers when they feel the time is right.
9. Certification is Fast
You can become certified in as little as 9 months with CBD College’s pharmacy technician program. And that even includes your externship at an actual pharmacy. Many careers require a new, 4-year college degree to make a change, but you can get started in this career path in less than a year.
After a pharmacy technician program, you’ll take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam. Then you’re ready to start your new career as a certified pharmacy technician!
10. Certification is Flexible
After completion of CBD College pharmacy technician program, you’ll be eligible to take the Pharmacy Technician National Certification Exam, the PTCB.
The PTCB certification opens the doors for you to work and practice in different states. The certification is often also accompanied with an increase in pay.
The certification exam scheduled dates are flexible. You will have the opportunity to pick a scheduled date that can fit to your current lifestyle.
So it’s a great choice if you have career or school obligations, or if you need to take care of your family. There are plenty of available schedule dates to get certified around your current schedule.
Don’t Wait! Become a Pharmacy Technician Today!
Dream Big, become a Pharmacy Technician, there’s no time like the present!
CBD College offers a nationally accredited pharmacy technician program. Are you ready to become a pharmacy technician? Contact us today and find out more about our great program!